Every now and then, E3 surprises. Thedarkroome.com’s Tech correspondent, Al White, got out of the gate early for a fix of Final Fantasy XIV : A Realm Reborn.Like most of game-keeps there, Square Enix had a server game play station set up for the full experience. 12 stations. 12 souls. All hell! Lines wrapped around the shortened convention block as our man Al stepped up to the console. In Tank position…the game began!

Al White and Brandon Bowlin. Al is killin' FF xiv.

In the end, Al broke down the significance of this level of play.

“The level they have designed is more about cooperation than most games. In fantasy battles, there is a strategy that surrounds each player. It’s understanding your powers. I spoke with Senior Director and Global Community Producer Toshio Murouchi about how they set up ‘balance’ better than most multi-player games. They have a long track history . . . and there’s a reason why people keep coming back. This is XIV!!”

Meanwhile, thedarkroome.com’s contributor, Sharon Blynn, breaks down some aspects of working a system like this.

“Waaaay back in the ancient world, systems weren’t ready for this kind of play. Then when they were, the net wasn‘t. Then both were ready but most people didn’t have high-speed internet or the cost was prohibitive. Now, cable is commonplace so you get to involve more folks. This, as with all the game stations here, is a closed system. A lot goes into making sure the game-play is powerful enough NOT to glitch or hang. But this experience is real time for home play as well. It's just that, right now, this is all about pushing abilities to the limits without ‘server’ fault so no one goes home with "glitch-in-the-game" on their minds.”